Chemistry and Business that are Benign by Design: Leveraging the Canadian Chemistry Industry’s Leadership in Sustainability

News

Published: 19Feb2013

Fifty years ago, Rachel Carson published her bestseller, Silent Spring, and the chemical industry was changed forever. An indictment of inattention to the flow and negative consequences of synthetic chemicals in the environment, Carson’s book catalyzed the environmental movement in North America. It also undermined the public’s confidence in simple assertions of “better living through chemistry” which, while not untrue, did not represent a full accounting of the risks and benefits of chemical technologies. The industry has been challenged to regain the public’s confidence ever since.